Friends, what a terrible episode we had yesterday! I have no motivation to write about it, but I felt I should say something if only to make a protest! The great emotional blowout of Jalal became a total tain tain fiss. The promo and the precap of the blowout were all red herrings. There was no blowout or catharsis. Instead Jalal has decided to give Jodha the silent insulting treatment! That was the worst nightmare we could have imagined.
Most of our predictions were based on the possibility of Jalal first having a spectacular outburst ... and Sujamal then putting on "stree vesh" and stalking the real culprit in the palace. We thought that after Jalal's outburst he would be sending Jodha to Amer, and Jodha would instead go to the jungle. We also thought that Sujamal would then take the arrow for Jalal, and get a chance to reveal his side of the story. And in the end we thought Hamida and gang would set up remorse in Jalal so that he fetches Jodha back. Our predictions never factored in Maham and we did not even entertain the idea that she would ever again be shown as powerful enough to make a mess of everyone's lives.
But here is what really happened yesterday ... and it's also the reason why we all look like a bunch of the world's best bewakoofs today!
The episode opened where it left off on Tuesday ... Jodha was arguing with Jalal that he should not have gone so much against Aziza in the Mazhar case, since to have a past is not a paap! She is not lying to Mazhar, and if she is hiding something from him, it may be for a good reason. When the right time comes, she will surely tell all to Mazhar?
Suddenly, as it were, Jalal took off at Jodha in a huge outburst, giving her a volley of shoutings and bodily rattling. He said "When will the right time come? And when is the right time for you? I have tolerated you going out every night to meet some "gair mard" which is not what a married woman does. It is an insult to her husband if she hides this from him. Who have you been meeting every night secretly? Even the secret meetings don't hurt me as much as the lying. What did you lie to me.? You have killed my love with your lying? C'mon tell me? What is the reason for your lies? TELL ME!"
Oh, my God, we all thought as we watched this, what a big fracas has happened between them now!
But wait ... the shock was in store for us. The TV screen showed that instead of looking rattled, Jodha was just looking at a silent Jalal and saying "Why aren't you saying anything? I asked you a question?" And suddenly it dawned on all of us that Jalal had said all that to Jodha only in his imagination! And he was instead of answering her, giving her the cold eyed silent treatment.
At her further prodding, he said just one more cold sentence "If Aziza loved Mazhar she wouldn't lie to him. If you love someone it hurts when they lie." He then went away from there leaving Jodha feeling as if she was a speck of dirt he had brushed off his sleeve.
That ended one part of our hopes that a fast blowut would also mean a fast reconciliation. But if you thought that was the end of the misery yesterday, you were mistaken. More desperate ugliness in the storyline awaited us. The worst enemy of our peace of mind -Maham - was the star of the show yesterday, and with her deep involvement in the story now, we can safely expect that this is going to be a very extended track of torture of viewers.
Outside the palace, there was a line of ten chosen khwaja seras, newly recruited. Maham and Resham appeared at the gates of the palace to do the frisking and searching and vetting of the chosen ones. Meannwhile Maham's attention was suddenly caught by one additional khwaja sera standing far away from the gates and hollering for footnotes! Apparently this khwaja sera had been robbed by one of the ten chosen ones near the gates. The clothes and bag and things belonging to this Khwaja Sera had been usurped by one of these chosen ten.
Maham now smelt a rat. She knew that one of these chosen ten Khwaja Seras may be an impostor that has robbed the unlucky one outside the gates. But instead of restituting the bag and belongings of the unlucky khwaja sera, Maham ordered her to never again show her face this side. Then Maham began casting a critical and alert eye on the chosen ten to see which one of them may be the impostor? Lo, and behold, the very last one in the line was a tall, good looking one. But something about the face made Maham look again. It was a familiar face. Where had Maham seen this face before?
It took all of just under two minutes for Maham's ultra-shrewd brain to click. This impostor Khwaja Sera was none other than Jodha's brother Sujamal whom Maham had spied on at the Ambe Ma mandir!
Now fully aware of this who this impostor was, Maham licked her lips with delight. This Sujamal was an idiot who had come into the palace seeking his own death, and he could also implicate Jodha - and both brother and sister could be felled with a single stone ... that was Maham's plan. She decided not to betray that she knew he was an impostor, but decided instead to "use" his presence inside the palace for her own saazishes against the Jalal-Jodha-Sujamal triumvirate.
Meanwhile, standing in line to be frisked, Sujamal (who called himself Dilawar Khan from Agra) saw a small parade of the people he may soon meet. First Atga Khan was seen by him in talks with Sharifuddin. Sujamal knew both of them. Sharif was the old fox he knew, and Atga was the man he'd sent the warning paigam to before the jashn attack. Another person who walked past him he knew very well indeed. It was his own nephew Mansingh, swishing a sword blade and walking with a cheery gait. Sujamal's eyes welled up with unshed tears to see his brother's son all grown up now and in the service of Jalal. Just as it was Sujamal that had taught Jodha all about swordsmanship, it was Sujamal who had also taught Mansingh his prowess with a sword. The presence of Mansingh must have been a solace to Sujamal, that if he should need an ally within the palace, he at least had one. But overall all the people Sujamal saw walking past him seemed to be giving viewers a sanket that they will all be involved in the storyline going forward. So we can expect Sharif, Atga and Mansingh to be actively involved in the Sujamal track now.
Coming back to Maham, she decided that to be extra careful she had better give some tests to Sujamal to see if her hunch that he was Sujamal were right. So she first paraded all the ten Khwaja Sera's by taking them on a walking tour through the garden. There Jodha was playing with Rahim ... and when Sujamal suddenly stopped walking and stayed back to see Jodha keenly, Maham got her first indication that she was right, this was Sujamal, no doubt feeling sentimental about his sister Jodha whom he had spotted. Next, according to Ruq's instructions some physical tests needed to be done on the chosen Khwaja Seras to ensure they were not men. Maham asked Resham to test each candidate but found that Sujamal adroitly avoided the test. Now she was 100% convinced it was Sujamal. But Maham did not press the point that he must present himself for the test. She allowed him to feel as if he had somehow cheated the test and had succeeded in passing off as a real Khwaja Sera.
Next all the chosen candidates were taken to Ruq for being assigned their jobs. Depending on the unique talents of each Khwaja Sera, they were assigned to different begums who had requested help of different kinds. Maham made sure to tell Ruq that this particular Khwaja Sera (Sujamal) was an excellent Dai Ma capable of caring for pregnant women and newborns, so Ruq promptly assigned him to Bakshi Bano. When he was assigned to Bakshi, one of the first things that Bakshi said was that this Khwaja Sera looked really good! And indeed most people who had so far seen Sujamal also agreed he looked "attractive", so he was making a small stir.
So much for the Khwaja Seras. Now coming back to Jodha and Jalal, Jodha was walking down one of the footpaths crisscrossing the gardens, when Jalal came in the opposite direction. She greeted him with her usual pranaam, but he straight ignored her. He then looked at Hoshiyaar and said "Go and tell Ruq that I spending time with her tonight". And with that he was gone. Jodha felt like a worm, no doubt, ignored and insulted. But then that was his aim, for I suspect he had decided against a blowout. He had decided to give Jodha the idea that she was in cold storage in his life hereafter!
The precap after the episode also gave a sanket of the times that we can expect now. Sharif was with Bakshi in his bedroom when Sujamal (acting as her Khwaja Sera) was standing by and watching the coochey coo. But suddenly spotting this new player in his room, Sharif started feeling as if he was looking at a familiar face. For a moment he circled round to take a good look at Sujamal, but I suspect he was not able to identify him. That's where we stand at the end of the Tuesday episode.
Friends, it's a bad situation but it's not all bad. There are a few redeeming points ... so to lift everyone's spirits I want to list the good and bad things in the storyline so far, so that we can all re-adjust our perspectives and expectations . Let's not all wallow in self-pity, let's see what hopes can be salvaged from the Tuesday episode.
THE POSITIVE POINTS I CAN THINK OF:
a. Last Friday itself the news was that the jungle scenes shooting had started. So far the airing of episodes has usually been two or three working days after the shooting schedule. So could it be that there will be a sudden escalation of speed, and Jodha may escape to the jungle by last this week or early next week. Can it be that Friday's episode will show us that Jodha is missing and leave us hanging for the weekend?
b. Sujamal has allies, thank God, inside this palace. He has at least spotted Mansingh, who is sure to be on his side if needed. I also suspect that if the question of this warning paigam to Atga comes up, Atga Khan will corroborate the story. So Atga is one one of the possible allies for Sujamal that I can count on. Sharif is bound to be the enemy along with Maham. If Adham returns from Malwa we may have to see which way he tilts. He may also be a bumbling idiot and accidentally help Sujamal.
c. Sujamal is in the right place, as Bakshi Bano's Khwaja Sera. Sujamal may well overhear Sharif plotting with his henchman for the arrow attack on Jalal and thus Sujamal may be able to avert the assassination of Jalal by taking that arrow on himself (as per Tatasky spoiler). Sujamal may also see the Jodha painting in Bakshi's room and see Sharif leching over it and get wind of the fact that Sharif secretly covets Jodha and will try to get her!
THE NEGATIVE POINTS I CAN THINK OF:
a. The Cricket T-20 World Cup and then the IPL Season follow for the next six to eight weeks. It is customary for most serials to drag out their tracks and add lots of daily melodrama, where the villains will be in high action mode with all kinds of tangled saazishes, and all sorts of MUs will be added to the mix ... all so that TRPs stay as high as possible during the cricket season. Most serial watchers record the serials and watch live cricket and then do a catch up of the serials. This affects TRPs since TRP calculation is based on the 8 pm viewership. So to keep TRPs high, the serial can be expected to sink all logic, butcher all characters, give the villains a long rope and make the hero and heroine feel miserable and separated. I won't be surprised if JA is also planning on the same lines? We have to see both these points together: the jungle shooting has already started so its possible that Jodha will go the jungle fast now. But if that happens, what then is going to be kheecho-fied? Which part of the story? Already we are all afraid that Jodha should not be shown alone in the jungle for long so that there's a daag on her character after that?
b. Jalal has chosen to give Jodha the silent treatment rather than the angry outburst. If this kind of stuff is extended we will have the old situation of insults and ignorings of Jodha which will be hard to watch. On the other hand there's still the possibility of a blowout happening within the next few days. Maybe Jodha will have enough of Jalal's insults and accost him, and he will then go through with his outburst? I don't see how Jodha can take the step of running to the jungle unless Jalal has that big outburst and calls her names. Will Jodha go to the jungle just because she is getting silent treatement? I doubt it. So if jungle shooting has started, then it suggests to me that somehow there will be some showdown between Jalal and Jodha soon so that Jodha can go to the jungle soon. But this also means Jodha may never see Sujamal in the palace, for she won't go away if she sees him there!
c. Maham seems to be the star of the track, much against our wishes that she be unmasked! By far this was the worst thing to happen, according to me. Now that Maham knows it's Sujamal, she is going to try all kinds of wretched tricks to nail Sujamal and Jodha. Those who have iron stomachs to bear all this may be able to watch with fortitude. Those of us with weak stomachs are going to have daily diarrhoea!
WHAT CAN HAPPEN NOW:
Okay, so let me try to end on an optimistic note. I had done a prediction post on Sunday, but obviously some of the things I predicted there have gone for a toss after yesterday's episode. Some other things I said there may still hold true.
... so here is my REVISED PREDICTION.
Jalal will be giving Jodha the silent treatment and cold shoulder and openly insult and ignore here. He will deliberately boost Ruq in front of Jodha to make Jodha feel small. Meanwhile Sujamal will be getting used to his duties as Bakshi Bano's "khwaja sera". Maybe he will bumble a lot as he does not know the job, thus giving Bakshi a lot of doubts about his abilities as a Dai Ma, and also increasing the suspicions of Sharif. But Sharif will not be able to find out that it is Sujamal (because Sharif does not have even one fraction of Maham's brains).
At the DEK, Jalal will be questioning Atga and Sharif if Sujamal has been traced ... but Maham will continue the story that Sujamal has fled, and Sharif and Atga will also say their efforts have been unproductive so far. Maham will secretly lick her chops that she is the only one in the know.She will give Jodha dirty and uppity looks.
Sujamal will try to get in touch with Jodha somehow to inform her that he is now inside the palace, but by a series of hits-and-misses the meeting will not take place. Thus Jodha will not know that Sujamal is in the palace.
After a major insult from Jalal (which may take place this week itself) Jodha will decide to accost Jalal for his behaviour. He will then blow his lid at her and a real outburst will take place. Jalal may tell Jodha, "You are not my concern anymore. Go back to Amer or go wherever you want, but don't show your face to me after so much lying. You have killed all feelings in me for you."
This may be more of anger from Jalal than real intent to send off Jodha, but it may really affect Jodha and she may decide enough is enough. Thus she may quietly pack Kanha's moorthi and some few belongings and leave via the surang to the jungle to spend time away from Jalal in peace. She knows she cannot go to Amer as she will not be welcome there. She may leave a note for Moti saying goodbye to Salima and Hamida and Rahim and Moti.
Sujamal in the process of work in Bakshi's room may overhear Sharif plotting to kill Jalal and he may get the time and place and method of intended attack (i.e. arrow). Sujamal may also see Sharif leching over Jodha's portrait and planning to abduct Jodha as the next step after Jalal attack ... and thus Sujamal may get a good idea of his burri nazar.
So temporarily Sujamal may stop searching for Jodha and focus instead on saving Jalal first (as per his vachan to save Jodha's suhaag). Thus it will happen that even as Jodha is leaving the palace via the surang, here Sujamal may avert the attack on Jalal by taking the arrow on himself. There will be a major hungama as to the real identity of Sujamal, when his disguise (wig?) falls off during the arrow taking. Jalal will realise it's a man, and on enquiry Mansingh may reveal it is Sujamal.
Since Sujamal has saved Jalal's life, he may be allowed by Jalal to say a few words in his own defence. Here Sujamal may tell his whole story from start to finish (i.e. the reason for visiting Agra to check on Jodha after the snake poison drinking; the eavesdropping on Mali and his co-conspirator; the warning paigam sent to Atga (which he will know by heart since he wrote it and thus Atga will vouch for that fact that he is the paigam writer); the foiling of the jashn attacker and subsequent blame being put on him by Sharif; the farman issued by Jalal which made it necessary to hide his presence in Agra; the nightly meetings with Jodha to save her suhaag by foiling the real culprit; the vachan he made Jodha give of secrecy from Jalal; etc etc.)
Hearing all this Jalal will start feeling bad that he had accused Jodha for her secretiveness, and he will also realise that Sujamal has saved his life twice..Just then Moti will arrive with Salima and Hamida, all three looking shell-shocked. Hamida will say Jodha has vanished and left a goodbye note for her and Salima. When Hamida comes to know that Jalal had shouted at Jodha and thus she had run away, Hamida will give Jalal an earful of gaalis! She will say Jalal should immediately get Jodha back as God knows where she is now, unsafe and unprotected.
Jalal will be distraught and think Jodha could have gone to Amer, since he himself had thrown that idea at her. He may decide to go to Amer himself to get Jodha back after asking her forgiveness. Sujamal will say "I too have to go with you as I cannot bear if something should happen to my sister." Jalal will agree. Meanwhile Sharif too will hear that Jodha has run away and he will immediately send his henchman to see if they can abduct Jodha en route to Amer.
As Jalal and Sujamal proceed towards Amer, en route they will be met halfway by Bharmal and his soldiers and sons. They will say that in Sujamal's absence they have re-captured Mewat in a small war, and they were on their way to Agra to give this news.
Jalal will say Jodha has run away to Amer and he will give Bharmal the whole story. But to Jalal's disgust Bharmal will say Jodha never came to Amer at all, she must be somewhere else! To add to that Sujamal may then tell them all that Sharif was plotting Jodha ka abdicton after the Jalal attack so maybe Sharif is already chasing Jodha to see if he can abduct her. Bharmal will also agree that during Jodha's shaadi itself he came to know from Chugtai Khan that Sharif was wanting Jodha for himself.
Jalal will be completely shattered to hear that Jodha is not in Amer and that she may be somehwre unprotected and now Sharif's men may be after her! He will tell them all, "We have to hurry and save Jodha, let us make three teams, I will go this way, Sujamal can go that way and Bharmal and Sons can go in a third way."
Meanwhile Jodha herself would have reached the forest, but thankfully she may have found a hut with an old banjara couple staying in it and they would have allowed her to take shelter with them as she promised to help them collect sticks for firewood and cook for them and care for the old man who is very sick.
Jodha would have no clue that Sharif's men are after her till one day she sees Sharif go inside another hut ... and when she spies she sees Sharif telling Abul Mali "You go back to Kabul as Jalal is on the hunt for Jodha and may catch you. Meanwhile, I am going to hunt for Jodha myself to abduct her". Thus Jodha will come to know that she is in deep trouble if Sharif manages to catch her, so she will ensure that she stays inside the hut of the old couple and does not venture out at all.
OK to cut a long story short, Jalal may be the first to reach Jodha somehow, and there may be a grand reconciliation after he asks for forgiveness and Jodha also says "Sorry" for keeping secrets. Jalal will say he knows everything from Sujamal and give her the gist of all that happened.
Then Sujamal may arrive there and he may see that Jodha is safe with Jalal, and so he will take leave and say he is going back to his own life. Bharmal and Co may then arrive and Jalal may have a deep talk with Bharmal that he should give Sujamal a share in the kingdom - maybe a separate state to rule - so that he doesn't remain an enemy and can have some job-satisfaction and have his ambitions met. Bharmal will agree to this idea and take leave to go back to Amer. (But alas, we know from history that Sujamal gets killed by Sharif before Bharmal can give him a separate state to rule.)
Jalal and Jodha will make their way back to Agra but on the way they may have to fight with some of Sharif's men who are on the prowl to abduct Jodha. Jodha will be very impressed with Jalal ka herogiri. Sharif may avoid the battle himself and when his men get vanquished by Jalal, he may decide to flee.
When Jodha and Jalal return to Agra, Maham may be in deep distress that all her plans have gone phut with respect to nailing Sujamal and Jodha. She will see that both Sujamal and Jodha have become close to Jalal. To crown everything Adham may have returned after killing Pir Mohammed and he may say Baaz Bahadur's men did it. But a sipahi of his may blurt out when drunk that it was Adham who actually killed Pir Mohammed. Maham may be very miffed with him for putting himself in suspicion for the killing of Pir Mohammed.
In another interesting development, Mazhar may return to meet Jalal and say that he and Aziza have patched up and he is going to marry Aziza only! The Jodha rescue saga may be followed by Adham's downfall ... and Maham's downfall also via the dhakka paigam and Shivani's story coming out.
By the time all this happens, and the old loops have all been closed out, the IPL will also be over and a brand new track will start (Hopefully!).
